On Thursday night we took the overnight train to Bellary, where Santosh Martin was to meet us….and that train, in many ways, is one of the reasons for my not being able to post anything yesterday, not even to upload photographs.

The second-class compartments of Indian Railways are quite uncomfortable to begin with; they are truly “second-class” or B-grade, as you wish to call them, with the middle berth being one where the passenger can neither sleep until the other two decide to call it a day, nor a place to sit when s/he gets up in the morning, until the lower berth passenger either gets up or gives the middle-berther a space.

And the two side-berths are also uncomfortable, with people walking past the passengers; but now, discomfort has hit a new high level, with a middle berth having been introduced in the side berths, too, which were, so far, only upper and lower. The introduction of the middle berth means that there are now three tiers, much shorter in length than the regular berths, and no one can possibly sleep comfortably in them.

I feel that Indian Railways is getting MORE customer-unfriendly instead of less; the side middle berth is truly a sadistic new invention. (The top berth is also so close to the curve of the bogie that it, too, is an instrument of torture.) I think they should give a 25% discount on those side berths, then it would be a bit more fair.

OK…will be uploading my photographs from Daroji and Hampi soon…..the return on the overnight Volvo bus was more comfortable, but I couldn’t sleep at all, and after spending the whole day on Sunday at the HSBC Bangalore Bird Race (we had a great and hilarious time, our bird of the day was the Bald Eagle!!) so Monday went in a haze of tiredness and unwillingness to do anything. Work and email have piled up and must be addressed….

And meanwhile there are interesting plays to go to, interesting films at the international film festival, and so on….

Have to catch up with my friends’ list, too. OOH, too much to do is always an uncomfortable situation for the founder-president of the Lazybones Society!